1. A method for stanching, sealing, or stabilizing a hemorrhage comprising providing a hemostatic agent comprising: a freeze-dried, heat-compressed, hemostatic chitosan or chitin material in a granule or particle form having a density between about 0.25 to 0.60 gcm3 and a granule or particle diameter of about 0.9 mm, and reacting said freeze-dried, heat-compressed, hemostatic chitosan material with at least one of blood, body fluid, and moisture at a hemorrhage site to adhere the compressed hemostatic chitosan material to a surface of the hemorrhage site.
2. The method according to claim 1
wherein the granule or particle carries within it dense chitosan beads.
3. A method for stanching, sealing, or stabilizing a hemorrhage comprising providing a freeze-dried, heat-compressed, hemostatic chitosan material in the form of a granule or particle having a density between about 0.25 to 0.60 gcm3, said chitosan material being at least one of interspersed with strips of a bioresorbable polymer mesh material and carried in a polymer mesh socklet that is sufficiently open to allow for the granules or particles to protrude out of the socklet; and reacting said freeze-dried, heat-compressed, hemostatic chitosan material with at least one of blood, body fluid, and moisture at a hemorrhage site to adhere the compressed hemostatic chitosan material to a surface of the hemorrhage site.
4. A method for stanching, sealing, or stabilizing a hemorrhage comprising:
providing a hemostatic agent comprising\xf7a partially or fully deproteinized and partially or fully deacetylized chitosan or chitin crustacean shell material that has been ground into granule or particle form; and wherein the chitosan or chitin material is expanded and partially ruptured such that about two-thirds of an interior of a granule or particle radius is intact and about a remaining one-third of the granule or particle radius is expanded at a surface of the granule or particle; and
applying the agent to the hemorrhage.
5. A method according to claim 4
further including a polymer mesh socklet carrying the ground crustacean shell material that is sufficiently open to allow for the ground crustacean shell material to protrude out of the socklet.
6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising applying the freeze-dried, heat compressed, hemostatic chitosan material to the hemorrhage site with the application of direct pressure and compression.
7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising applying the freeze-dried, heat compressed, hemostatic chitosan material to the hemorrhage site without the application of direct pressure and compression.
8. The method according to claim 1
further comprising circumventing the immediate need for clotting proteins normally required for hemostasis.
9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the hemorrhage site is noncompressible.
10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the density of the freeze-dried, heat compressed, hemostatic chitosan material in the form of a granule or particle is between about 0.25 to 0.50 gcm3.
11. The method according to claim 1 further comprising providing an adjuvant; and wherein the freeze-dried, heat compressed, hemostatic chitosan material in the form of a granule or particle comprises a chitosan salt prepared using at least one acid selected from the group consisting of acetic acid, lactic acid and glycolic acid.
12. The method according to claim 2 wherein the dense chitosan beads are prepared by flow mixing of a chitosan acid solution and a polyanion solution.
13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the polyanion solution comprises an alginate.
14. The method according to claim 3 further comprising applying the freeze-dried, heat compressed, hemostatic chitosan material to the hemorrhage site with the application of direct pressure and compression.
15. The method according to claim 3 further comprising applying the freeze-dried, heat compressed, hemostatic chitosan material to the hemorrhage site without the application of direct pressure and compression.
16. The method according to claim 3
further comprising circumventing the immediate need for clotting proteins normally required for hemostasis.
17. The method according to claim 3 wherein the hemorrhage site is noncompressible.
18. The method according to claim 3 wherein the density of the freeze-dried, heat compressed, hemostatic chitosan material in the form of a granule or particle is between about 0.25 to 0.50 gcm3.
19. The method according to claim 3 further comprising providing an adjuvant; and wherein the freeze-dried, heat compressed, hemostatic chitosan material in the form of a granule or particle comprises a chitosan salt prepared using at least one acid selected from the group consisting of acetic acid, lactic acid and glycolic acid.
20. The method of claim 3 wherein the granule or particle carries within it dense chitosan beads prepared by flow mixing of a chitosan acid solution and a polyanion solution.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein the polyanion solution comprises an alginate.
22. The method of claim 3 comprising applying the freeze-dried, heat compressed, hemostatic chitosan material in the form of a granule or particle carried in a polymer mesh socklet through one of a cannula and a syringe.
23. The method according to claim 4
further comprising applying the chitosan or chitin crustacean shell material to the hemorrhage site with the application of direct pressure and compression.
24. The method according to claim 4
further comprising applying the chitosan or chitin crustacean shell material to the hemorrhage site without the application of direct pressure or compression.
25. The method according to claim 4
further comprising circumventing the immediate need for clotting proteins normally required for hemostasis.
26. The method according to claim 4 wherein the hemorrhage site is noncompressible.
27. The method of claim 4 wherein the chitosan or chitin crustacean shell material is expanded and partially ruptured using CO2.
28. The method according to claim 4 wherein the chitosan or chitin crustacean shell material is granulated under ambient temperature.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A flood control device comprising:
a mechanical fluid flow sensor;
an acoustic fluid flow sensor;
a control circuit coupled to said mechanical fluid flow sensor and said acoustic flow sensor, said control circuit having an output which depends at least in part on past or present signal inputs from said mechanical fluid flow sensor and said acoustic fluid flow sensor; and
a shut-off mechanism receiving said control circuit output as an input so as to control fluid flow through said flood control device.
2. The flood control device of claim 1, wherein said acoustic fluid flow sensor comprises a band pass filter circuit.
3. The flood control device of claim 1, wherein said mechanical flow sensor comprises a helical axial impeller.
4. The flood control device of claim 1, additionally comprising a clock.
5. The flood control device of claim 1, wherein said mechanical fluid flow sensor and said acoustic fluid flow sensors have outputs routed to a processing circuit.
6. The flood control device of claim 5, wherein said processing circuit is configured to analyze said output signals using fuzzy logic decision making so as to produce said control circuit output and to control fluid flow through said flood control device.
7. In a fluid supply system, a method of stopping fluid flow in the event of abnormal fluid flow conditions comprising:
evaluating a status of a plurality of system parameters;
detecting abnormal fluid flow based at least in part on said status;
automatically stopping fluid flow in response to said detecting.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein said system parameters are selected from the group consisting of instantaneous flow rate, total integrated flow volume over a selected period, and time of day.
9. The method of claim 7, wherein said detecting comprises analyzing said parameters using a fuzzy logic algorithm.
10. In a flood control device configured to shut-off fluid flow in the event of a break, leak, or other malfunction in an associated plumbing system, a method of sensing fluid flow comprising:
sensing high fluid flow levels with a mechanical fluid flow sensor; and
sensing low fluid flow levels with an acoustic transducer.
11. The method of claim 10, additionally comprising filtering an output signal of said acoustic transducer with a band pass filter.
12. The method of claim 10, additionally comprising detecting substantially zero-flow conditions with said acoustic transducer.
13. A method of controlling the interruption of fluid flow to at least a portion of a plumbing system comprising:
defining one or more parameters indicative of system status;
defining at least one parameter range upon which a decision to interrupt fluid flow is based; and
automatically altering said range in response to a previously sensed value of said one or more parameters.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein said at least one parameter range is dependent upon a sensed value of a different parameter.
15. The method of claim 13, wherein said at least one parameter range is dependent on the time of day.
16. A method of controlling water supply to a portion of a plumbing system of a residential structure, said method comprising:
defining a plurality of parameters indicative of system status;
defining a plurality of parameter ranges upon which a decision to interrupt said water supply is based; and
automatically altering at least one of said plurality of parameter ranges in response to a previously sensed value of at least one of said plurality of parameters.
17. A flood control device comprising:
means for evaluating a status of a plurality of system parameters;
means for detecting abnormal fluid flow based at least in part on said status;
a valve positioned to interrupt said fluid flow and connected to said means for detecting abnormal fluid flow so as to be forced closed when abnormal fluid flow is detected.
18. The flood control device of claim 17, wherein said means for detecting abnormal fluid flow comprises a processing circuit configured to adapt decision making to past status of said plurality of system parameters.